Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage? (Palm Springs, Palm Desert: apartments, renting, skateparks)

[jwl808]

Can anybody advise me on cost of living in Indian Wells, and Rancho Mirage? How about the utilities and the traffic? any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Twinkle Toes]

It depends on what you are looking for. There really isn't a lot of traffic in the Coachella Valley. Your utilities are going to depend on the size house you have and whether or not you have a pool and/or spa. Imperial Irrigation District is cheaper than Edison. Rancho Mirage is on IID and Indian Wells is on Edison. There are a number of threads in these forums that address questions about the Coachella Valley, but if you want more specific information, you will need to give us more criteria.

[jwl808]

Thanks for the info Twinkle Toes. I am married with a 5 year old daughter and I am looking for a 2 bedroom apt in nice place with a good school district. I am going to have a job in palm springs but as I research on the areas(palm springs, indian wells and rancho mirage) indian wells has a good school in Gerard Ford. I want to give the best for my daughter but I am also concern on the cost of living like utilities and rent. If I live in Rancho Mirage, can I get my daughter to Gerard Ford even if its in Indian Wells? Thank you very much and a very happy new year to you.

[Twinkle Toes]

In order to get your daughter into Gerald Ford from Rancho Mirage you will have to get an interdistrict transfer. I don't know if they will give it to you because she was not previously in that school. I am not sure what elementary schools are in Rancho Mirage, but in Palm Desert there are two excellent elementary schools - James Earl Carter Elementary and Washington Charter. There is also Lincoln Elementary but I don't think it has the academic status that the other two have. In La Quinta, Amelia Earhart Elementary is also a top notch school. I don't know about the Palm Springs schools.

For a two bedroom apartment/condo (Not many apartments in either of these cities) you can expect to pay a minimum of somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500 per month. I am not sure about what utilities run for a 2 bedroom apartment.

Both Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells are going to be a drive into Palm Springs, but not bad though. If you are willing to drive, you may want to check out Palm Desert and La Quinta as well. La Quinta is on IID so the electric bills are going to be cheaper than they would be in Palm Desert.

I currently live in La Quinta, and my oldest son went through the Palm Desert schools (we lived in Palm Desert) and my youngest, who is in 8th grade has been only in Palm Desert schools. We were able to get an interdistrict transfer for him because he attended Palm Desert Middle School when we moved out of Palm Desert and into La Quinta. We have had no problems with any of the Palm Desert schools. The only reason my younger son doesn't attend La Quinta schools is because he wants to graduate from Palm Desert High School with his friends. He's been in school since kindergarten with these same kids.

Good luck to you in your search. Check out MyDesert.com | The Desert Sun | Palm Springs news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Palm Springs, California to get more info on our area.

[jwl808]

Thank you so much Twinkle Toes, you are so nice and definitely very helpful. Because of your info about great schools in Palm Desert, I will consider it also. Do you have any idea about the utilities, rent, traffic situation and how long will it take for me to drive from palm desert to palm springs and back? Is there a nice area and apartments somewhere near the boundary of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage? I am considering a 1 bedroom apartment also if 2 bedroom is too costly. Again thank you and have a wonderful week ahead.

[jaynetarzana]

We recently relocated to the area and we're renting while we house hunt. We're trying to sort it all out and figure out the best area for us to buy. We absolutely LOVE the houses in Indian Wells as they are right up our alley architecturally, but is it a good place for families? When we drive around the neighborhoods there, we only see retired people walking their little dogs or riding on golf carts.

I know Gerald Ford elementary is a good school and I think you can also send your kids to Washington Charter elementary and that is a very good thing. But I don't want to be the only young people in the neighborhood. That is how it was in the last place we lived and it was very isolating for me not to have other moms/kids around during the day to chat with. Not that I have anything against older people, but we just don't have anything in common. I'm a tree hugging liberal stay at home mom in my early thirties and raising two young children. Any input would be appreciated.

[aquanimator]

My experience is that Rancho Mirage is way more convenient and pleasant to live in than Indian wells. There is great shopping and there is an area of apartments taht is within walking distance to the best shopping, movies and a fantastic public library. They are both rich cities to be sure but Rancho Mirage is smack in teh middle of Palm Springs & Palm Desert where 90% or all of your daily activities will take you. Indian Wells does not have much to offer unless you are a golf enthusiast or work at one of the big resorts. But all of the other cities have that too. I find La Quinta to be just too far out. You will drive less overall living in Rancho Mirage.

[Petrala]

Originally Posted by jwl808

Can anybody advise me on cost of living in Indian Wells, and Rancho Mirage? How about the utilities and the traffic? any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Rancho Mirage is closer to PS and it's a not too inconvenient commute, although during high season and if there are a bunch of events going on it can be noticeable and for old-timers, it's horrible compared to the old days.


Electric bills in summer to cool your house are sucky. But your alternative is to not cool your house when it's 115-120 outside.

[megannee]

Getting more information on Indian wells,California on vaction at a resorts what are the best ones and food where are the best places to eat. I'll be there next summer for 8 days.Where's the Best Place to stay on vaction that includess breakfast? Thank you. Should I bring the sunscreen? Have a 12 year also on the trip. Need more information on Kid stuff in the Desert,California.

[Twinkle Toes]

Sunscreen, absolutely! The sun is pretty intense here, and during the summer the heat is almost unbearable for people who are not "from here".

Indian Wells has four resorts - the Miramonte, the Esmeralda, and the Hyatt Regency, and the Indian Wells Resort. All four are really nice, with the first three named being the best. If you are staying here for 8 days, you won't want to be confined to Indian Wells, because a 15 minute trip through IW, and you've basically seen it all. For restaurants you'll want to venture into Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, or Palm Springs.

Palm Desert has a lot of restaurants I enjoy, which also happen to be close to shopping! Check out the Gardens on El Paseo - lots of restaurants and shops there. Also The River in Rancho Mirage for shopping and restaurants. There are a TON of restaurants on Palm Canyon in Palm Springs.

I think your 12 year old will pretty much just want to go swimming because it will likely be over 110 degrees while you're here. There isn't a whole lot for a kid to do here during the summer outdoors. Most kids stay inside, or swim, or go to the mall. There are skateparks, but kids use them at night during summer because of the blistering sun and the excrutiating heat.